Vladimir Tukmakov – Coaching the Chess Stars

“His account of the collaborations with such players as Kortchnoi, Tseshkovsky as well as Giri and So are just as interesting. Just as with Edouard’s account of working with Topalov, the insights of an insider lend colour and might not have grabbed your attention. In summary a really fascinating book that I enjoyed greatly! 5 Stars!” – GM Matthew Sadler NIC Magazine 07/19.

“Coaching the Chess Stars is a fascinating view ‘behind the curtains’ of chess at the highest levels. Tukmakov is a good writer and a better annotator, and the fact that the book is successful despite the near impossibility of his task, having to respect privacy while revealing the nature of elite coaching, speaks to the difficulty of the project as well as his skills in executing it.” – CHESSLIFE, JULY 2019, John Hartmann

“I read Tukmakov’s book Coaching the Chess Stars. I would recommend the chapter on Anish Giri – it certainly helped me a lot!” – Magnus Carlsen, interview ‘chess24’ 040519

Vladimir Tukmakov, born in Odessa 1946, was one of the strongest Ukranian grandmasters. He was the winner of several strong tournaments, including the Ukranian Championship in 1970, and he came second in three Soviet championships in 1970,72 and 83. After his successful period as active player, he became a coach, trainer and author.